Hope for Someone
by Rose Melissa Ivashkov
Summary: There was no hope for Rose. Whatever she did, wherever she went, he would always find her.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: One huge thanks to Tiffany for hosting yet another FAGE. Seriously, she needs to be showered in gold. Maria, thanks for listening to all the whining I did as I stressed over this FAGE. Lastly, NIcia, I've known you for some time and. . .well, I wanted to write an awesome masterpiece for you, but I couldn't. You're an awesome lady, keep on being awesome. I sincerely hope you like what I wrote for you. Much love to you. **

**FAGE 007**

**Title: Hope for Someone **

**Written for: Nicia **

**Written By: Rose Melissa Ivashkov **

**Rating: T (some foul language) **

**Summary/Prompt used: **"Living with integrity means: Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships. Asking for what you want and need from others. Speaking your truth, even though it might create conflict or tension. Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values. Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe."  
>― Barbara De Angelis<p>

**If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this exchange visit the facebook group:** **Fanficaholics Anon: Where Obsession Never Sleeps, or add the C2 to get all the stories direct to your inbox.**

** www . fanfiction community /FAGE-007/93625/**

**To readers: This will be a short, fast-paced story.**

Intro:

As she rode on forward at speeds rivaling cars that zoomed beside her, Rose finally gave herself the chance to breathe. She enjoyed the sensations of the wind against her, while in awe at the skyline of her hometown materializing before her. A delicacy she hadn't been able to give herself in such a long time. She had been encompassed in fear for an immeasurable amount of time. Now, it was time to let herself go. Her escapement had been risky but she had managed to escape him. She knew the drill. He would discover her gone and the chase would be on again.

This time, though, she vowed that she would not be caught again. She would not, could not, go back to being his property. Even if the chase became dangerous, she would not give in to him once again. She'd been caged. She was ready to run free. Rose cared little if her actions would result in her death. She believed death would come as a blessing. She didn't want to live anymore if it meant that he would never give her freedom.

She should have felt guilty; she should have at least pulled over to the side of the road to have the customary "time to think" that came after doing something bad to him; she should have allowed some regret. But she wasn't going to give that man another second of her time. There wasn't anything to regret in her actions. Beside, this—her running off on him on their wedding day—had been his doing. He had never learned. Emotional abuse and aggression was not something that made Rose want to stay by his side, or anyone.

Rose smiled once as she neared the exit ramp. She was one step closer to her hometown. She had battled her demons and now she was coming home, back to where she belonged, to her birthplace. A skyline, illuminated, was making itself known in the dark sky as she continued on the busy highway. San Francisco. She had been forced away from the place when her parents had had enough of her at her rebellious seventeen. Without so much as a goodbye, and a somewhat guilty look coming from her father, her ex-fiancé had whisked her away to some high end town the next state over. Then, the gentleman fiancé had turned into a total abusive asshole, completely destroying Rose's life.

Ten years later, regardless of the fact that she would never be free from harm, she was coming home. It didn't matter that her ex-fiancé was out there planning her murder. It didn't matter that she had no idea how to restart her life after living in a shithole for the past ten years. It didn't matter that she was emotionally and mentally destroyed and wasn't sure if she would ever heal. Nothing mattered.

She was home.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing to greet Rose back in San Francisco was the busy streets, the delicious scents of foods—and a _wall?_ running into her, while a warm liquid cascaded down her chest. In anger, she stumbled forward, into a wall of hard chest. This would have been the typical cliché romantic meeting that led to a date, usually portrayed in those awful romantic movies. But this was her fucking life, her messed up life. The only thing that would come out of this encounter was what she already knew—men were asshats.

Rose eyed him, warily, mentally formulating a remark as he no doubt would go on a speech that deemed her character as "not very Christian," with her way her clothes were covered in spikes. She just liked that outfit. Okay, man. She prepared her middle finger to throw right in his face when he started with his self-righteous shit, the way her ex-fiancé would start. Oh, she was going to give him a piece of her mind—but dammit, his face was too fucking handsome and cuddly-looking. The kind of man you want to stay up till late hours of the night to talk about nonsense.

"I think you spilled your coffee," slipped out Rose's mouth before her mind could comprehend what her mouth had done.

"No shit?" came from the not so handsome any longer stranger. "Dammit, girl, you just knocked down the source of my energy. Not a morning person. Don't know who is. Fuck. Dull and Moody needs to hire someone else to take over my shifts. . ."

Rose had wanted to ignore the man, continue on, but his words caught her attention. "You're looking to hire someone?"

The man eyed her, putting the mostly empty cup to his lips and took a sip. "Refreshing. Coffee is refreshing."

"There is nothing in there," Rose felt the need to point, smiling despite her shitty situation.

"Yeah, I know. The motions calm me down." The stranger eyed Rose again, now smiling, while his green eyes twinkled, it seemed. "You looking for a job, kid?"

"I sure am. Doesn't matter the work. I can handle it. And if you don't mind, I don't think I qualify for the 'kid' label."

"Nickname for everyone. Don't think your special." He shrugged, looking off into the distance, as if he desired to be off inside his warm bed. Or that's what Rose wished. In a warm bed. Not his.

"So this job?" Rose implored, hoping for more information. Rose didn't do well with numbers, but she didn't have to be a mathematician to know that the five hundred dollars she managed to bring along with her wouldn't get her very far, especially here in San Francisco. Being employed would do her well.

"Yeah, this job." The stranger squinted his eyes at Rose. "Midnight Bar. Six PM. Look for me. Or Eddie. He'll know what's up."

"That's all?"

The stranger nodded.

"Dress code?"

He made a face. "Dress bartender-y. Fuck, I don't know. Just show up. It will be a fancy pay."

Rose wanted to ask for more details but the man was walking away.

"Rest up, kid. You're going to be working in hell in a few hours. I am Adrian, by the way." With a wave, he disappeared into the crowds, vanishing completely from Rose's view, leaving Rose with unanswered questions.


	3. Chapter 3

When Rose entered the bar that evening, at exactly twenty minutes before the time Adrian had instructed her, she was nervous in an excited sort of way. She usually was more intrigued with drinking alcoholic beverages than knowing the process of fixing up drinks. All that wicked mastery, like throwing bottles into the air and whatever else bartenders did, would be a challenge to her. Rose liked challenges. She needed a distraction from the fear that consumed her everyday life.

There was a man, early twenties, wiping counters as Rose stepped further inside the bar. Metal music was blasting from the speakers and that man nodded his head to the beat of the song, momentarily ditching the counters to mimic a guitar solo with his hands. Rose chuckled to herself. Meeting Adrian earlier that day, and this new strange man—she was sure she was going to enjoy herself in her new employment.

"Eddie?" Rose questioned, stepping forward to the counter. Shoving her hands in her pockets, she waited patiently till the man continued on with his solo.

An awkward minute later, the young man nodded and resumed wiping the rest of the counter. "The bar doesn't open till thirty minutes—wait, you're the new kid. The name is Eddie, but I guess you already know that." Eddie chuckled, proceeding to the throw the wet rag toward Rose. "Basically, just keep the counters clean. Don't go near the alcohol."

"That's it?" Rose asked when he turned his back on her and started arranging the liquors bottles. "I thought I was going to be making drinks."

Eddie made a face, caught between horror and humor. "Boss man doesn't let amateurs near his liquor. Look, Adrian and I want you here because we're always too busy making drinks to keep the counters clean. Boss man gets all pissy about it. Keep it clean, meaning no dirty glasses and all that shit, stay out of our way, and you'll have a paycheck guaranteed."

"Okay," Rose mumbled, glancing around the dead bar.

It wasn't long before "hell hour" started and costumers squeezed themselves inside the bar. Once the crowd had died, or the guys had shooed out the last customer, Adrian and Eddie continued to impress her. These two were entertainers, not bartenders. Flipping bottles of liquor up in the air, while they caught it behind their backs, and doing all sorts of tricks that intrigued Rose.

"That's some crazy business," Rose told them, reaching for the drink Adrian had served for her.

"What—" Commotion from the back caused Adrian's face to change from jovial to oh-no.

"Sound of death, man." Eddie stopped the maniac bottle twirling in the air and set the bottle down carefully back in its place.

"I can hear those spurs twirling on his boots, his duster flowing behind him as he walks. His horse is already twitching with fear at his never-ending wraith."

Rose laughed, amused at the joking happening between the two men. At Adrian's announcement of The One, Rose turned to look at what tormented the two handsome souls. When she saw who entered the door, she had one of those movie-worthy moments where time slows and the protagonist meets the love interest. Standing tall, mysterious—a walking form of sexual tension—the man took Rose's breath away.

Too dumbfounded to function properly, Rose fell off the stool she sat on and ate shit right in front of the fine man that had her nipples already hardened. Or was it the coldness? Mortified, violently embarrassed, she attempted to pick herself up from the floor, but gentle hands were already lifting her effortlessly. Once she was righted, she cleared her hair away from her face, looking everywhere, anything to avoid facing the man. In the background, she heard her newfound friends laughing at her awkward moment.

"You alright?" And that's when her panties dropped. The man had an accent. Hearing the snickering happening behind him, he faced the bickering men with a steely look. "Don't stand there. A lady harmed herself. Ivashkov there is a first aid kit. Castile come use your medic training and see if she's injured."

"Dropped out of medical school, Belikov."

"I won't tell you twice." His tone was more dangerous, more urgent, demanding, and Eddie was running to Rose's side.

Rose shook off some of her embarrassment, declining their medical offers. "I am well. I fell, like, a foot." She allowed Adrian to place a Band-Aid on her ankle, as the man had requested.

"I take it you're the new employee these two hooligans hired," the man was saying, now more at ease when he realized Rose was indeed alright, leaning his back against the counter. "Without my permission, I'll add."

"We apologize," came from Adrian, seeming entirely contrite, as he too leaned against the wall, eyeing Rose. "Nah, we don't care. We've already filled her out on the important detail of the job. You're an ass."

A silent giggle escaped Rose's lips, followed by a yawn. Surprisingly, the boss's lips turned into a small smile.

"Is Dimitri already boring you into a coma, Rose?" Adrian jibed, soon attacked by a series of yawns. "I know he is. Adrian is out. I'll give you a ride home, kid."

"Don't have anywhere to go, actually. I was hoping you guys would be able to tell me where to find an affordable hotel to crash the night."

"I would take you home, but those days are over for me. I met my blonde owl who has tamed my wild ways. Well, except my wild libido. She enjoys that."

"And I room with my girlfriend attending the College a few minutes from here. I think Boss man has a comfy couch," Eddie suggest, grinning over at his boss.

"It's settled then." Adrian gathered his keys from somewhere under the counter. Right before they left, Adrian turned back to me, said "Beware of strangers," smiled and exited right behind Eddie.


	4. Chapter 4

"Help yourself to anything you want."

Rose was thankful for the polite host Dimitri made, but she could tell he was not used to having many people over, for their large spans of awkward silence following each word they shared. Now, it was silent as Dimitri prepared dinner for the both, while he tried to persuade her to use his bed and he would take the couch. The perfect gentlemen—the man usually described as the suspect of murder.

Well if things went south, she had her friend nearby. A small but powerful weapon that would cause damage once shot.

Reminding herself of her weapon, Rose forced herself to relax. "Do you live alone?" Rose asked, hoping, encouraging him to be more open with her. Alright, she had watched enough shitty murder shows. She knew how to spot a bad man.

"With a stray cat that comes and goes."

Rose smiled. "Animals usually don't like, which is upsetting because I've changed my whole lifestyle to protect the animals. I even stopped to eat meat. Or tried to anyway." Rose averted her eyes from what he was cooking; she didn't even have to look; she could smell the delicious scent of steak from miles away. "It's not working out. I succumb to the lust of tacos very easily."

After a heartfelt chuckle, Dimitri murmured, "You're a beautiful woman, Rose."

Rose swallowed, trying to keep things light by saying, "You're not one of those secret murderers, are you?"

Dimitri chuckled, turning to flip his steak on the pan. "Only if I wish to be decapitated and castrated by the matriarch of my family. She's a huge advocate on women rights. My sister's follow up as hardcore feminists. They're intimidating. I would no doubt get some lashings if they knew I had you here."

"That doesn't make me feel better at all. In fact, I am afraid they'll misinterpret my intentions."

"They do have a tendency to overreact when women are near me."

"Sounds familiar, though not too familiar. My mother. . .flipped out when she discovered I had left and soured her plans. Tossed out my phone out to avoid her. It's not completely foolish to be afraid of a strong woman."

"Agreed. Although, you have nothing to worry about. My mother and sisters are visiting my homeland. Will be out of the country for a few weeks." Dimitri turned back to his burning steak on the stove. "You hungry?"

Rose shook her head. "Just tired." Tired of running, her mind mentally amended.

"I insist. Please take the bedroom. Just for tonight," Dimitri pleaded softly, smiling down at her, reaching down to gently touch the back of her hand.

As his hand reached her, right before he made contact with her, Rose flinched and was quick to move away from him. So many years—years that now caused negativity in her life. So many years with him—she knew his ways, the fake tenderness that came before the violent explosion. So many years—she didn't know how to take control of her life. She feared for her life, for the promise he had made to her. Wherever she went, he would find her.

Shaking violently, Rose shut her eyes and attempted to regain control of herself. Distantly, she heard soft murmurs of encouragement from Dimitri, that he would protect her and she was safe. With him being so strong and confident and protective, she felt assured and not so afraid. She wished _he _had been of commendable behavior, like this kind stranger.

"Are you alright? You can talk to me." Dimitri's concern moved her, caused a knot of emotion to fill her throat. If only her relationship had been different. If only she had given her whole heart to someone like Dimitri.

"I am alright," Rose affirmed with faked confidence. "I will. . .take the bedroom. Just tonight. Sorry."


	5. Chapter 5

Weeks after her arrival, Rose had fallen into a routine. Sleep throughout most of the day, help out in the bar the remainder of the day. The two men, Eddie and Adrian, made sure she loved a good portion of her working hours. As a result, they had formed a small little pact; it was ridiculous the amount of inside jokes they had created in the short time they had known one another. As for Dimitri, he was always there, giving mean looks to both Adrian and Eddie, while he reserved his nicest looks for her. She'd often found herself blushing under his gaze.

But still, Rose was terrified of her reality. She'd done this plenty of times before. Each time, he would come back and remind her that her reality was violence. Her future was already set; he would be in every moment of her future

Rose pondered her life as she stepped out of the bar after a long, tiring shift. Wrapping her scarf around herself to shield her face from the rush of coldness, she felt a longing, longing to be touched by another human being. Lovingly. Not one of those playful punches she threw around with her two friends. She craved the touch of. . .Dimitri. The way he could set her insides on fire with just a look. To get lost in him—_stop thinking about him, Rose. _

She couldn't. She knew she couldn't ever give herself to any man. The man following her was an elite; he had used his money in her previous charges to pay to have them dropped; he had enough resources to know where she was at and where she was going. Her being involved with Dimitri would only put him in danger. She didn't want the kind man harmed.

Rose's wasn't able to shake of her the feeling of dread as she entered her apartment.

She knew, without a doubt, that he'd finally caught up to her.

She didn't have to flick her lights on to know her thoughts were facts.

There were angry eyes with her; they had always been filled with anger.

"Rose."

His voice chilled Rose; Rose's apartment grew colder.

"I told you to leave me alone," Rose voiced, both her voice and body shaking.

"But you're mine," he replied, his eyes staring right at her, through her. The darkness was no hindrance to him. He knew her; he had spent unmeasurable amount of time studying her. "You promised yourself to me. When you did, I became owner of your body, your thoughts, of you."

"When I promised myself to you, I didn't know you were a _fucking_ lunatic." Rose's heartbeat was erratic; she was ready to combust. To surrender to his wants. She was tired of running. She didn't want to deal with this life any longer. Her efforts were unsuccessful. Regardless of what she did, of where she went, he would always find her. She was losing this war. She had failed to save herself. She was going to lose.

"Shame you're always running from me," he told her calmly.

Silence. Eerily calm silence.

Then, his hands were around her throat. She made no move to stop him. She was done fighting.

A light, a ray of hope, shone on Rose's face as someone opened the door her apartment. She felt a struggle. Hands removed away from her throat. Grunts and cries of pain sounded right beside her. As she struggled to gather oxygen, she felt defeated, weak; she slipped to the ground. Rose curled into herself, wanting to succumb to the darkness that called her name. Death would be a blessing to her.

"You're alright," a soft, accented voice murmured in her ear, so soft and comforting. His touch, a touch so delicate, she only wanted to be enveloped inside his relaxing hold. She would have given anything for _him _to be as gentle as this man. She had voiced her thoughts, her wants, once and violence was the only thing she received in return. She grew tired. She was tired.

"I am not. I will never be. Not as long as he's alive."

"Come on," Dimitri prodded gently, lifting her, holding her till she was stable.

. . . . .

Shaking, Rose reached out to grab the drink Dimitri had slid over to her. The fiery feeling the liquor left as it traveled inside her was comfort; the coldness of the bar was equally as pleasant. But the way Dimitri's tender gaze regarded her was gold. Not for the first time, she had wished her ex-fiancé would have been this gentle, this tender. Once upon a time, he would was a lover to Rose. Too soon, he had a complete turnaround and became a possessive, abusive asshole, destroying Rose in every way possible.

"You're safe," Dimitri kept murmuring to her, a soothing caress to her frazzled self.

Rose accepted the next drink he offered. "I am not." She shook her head vigorously. "I can never go anywhere without him being there. He finds me every time. We've been playing this game for ten years. I don't want to continue on. I don't want to be here. I don't want to be alive." She suppressed the tears; her tears had gotten her nowhere. Instead, she pushed the small glass of liquor away from herself and stood up from the stool.

She began to plan. "I need to leave this place." Always to the same conclusion. She would leave and soon he would find her. Then, the whole thing would start over.

Dimitri eyed her. "You want to leave?" he asked her, in that sexy, warm accent of his.

"I want to leave," she repeated desperately.

"I suppose by that you mean 'you don't want to live' any longer, do you?" When she said nothing, he continued on, "But that would give him victory. We don't want to see him be successful. Or at least, I don't think you want him to have control of you, over the situation."

Rose, once again, stayed uncaring to his comments. "How did you find me tonight?"

"You live across from me."

"Why did you do it? He was livid. I would have gladly taken the death sentence he offered me."

Dimitri came from the behind the counter to stand before her. Taking both of her hands in his hands, he brought them up to his lips. "I can take care of you, Rose. I would never let him come near you. I can take you away from here. Anywhere you want to go. I would take care of you." He cupped her cheek. "You're much too important for me. I would never want anything harming you."

"Please. Take me away from here," she told Dimitri, with pleading eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

A year later

Rose would have punched the sucker that said there would have come a time when her life would free of fear. Today, she lounged in her backyard, if it could be called that, and watched her kind stranger finally give life to his dreams. Eddie and Adrian, his workers, were under a furious laughter spell as they watched from the sidelines. Dull and Moody, as Adrian called him, was atop a horse as he herded cattle inside the corral, while his cowboy duster flew behind him.

Her ex-fiancé had finally been put behind bars as he had done something repulsive enough that money could not fix. Rose had sucked in a breath, grown a pair, and gone to see him inside prison. He was not the same man that had complete control of her. She had been delighted, fiercely so, to see how terrorized and afraid he had become. Even the smallest of noises had him cowering in fear. Justice had been served inside the prison walls. She'd left, grinning, highly content. She was happy to see he was being used as prison "booty".

As for Rose, she now had a hot cowboy warming her bed in the night. She wished she could say taking another man to her bed had been easy, but she had been so distraught, so emotionally devastated. Dimitri had been so patient with her, never forcing her to do anything she wanted. It had taken a while before she had welcomed him as something more than a friend. When she had finally allowed him to come as a lover, he been patient and slow and tender. Soon, Rose had become comfortable with him, with herself, with her life. Not long after, Rose allowed him to become that wild, passionate cowboy usually heard of in those erotic western novels.

"You're all dirty," Rose commented to him, as he hopped off his horse once he had finished placing his cows back inside the corral. "And I am all sweaty."

"Hmm, it seems we are both in need of a shower." Dimitri glanced down at her, holding back the smile Rose loved to see on his face.

"Ah. Yes." Coyly, Rose stood up from her lounging chair and pressed closer to her hot, hardworking cowboy. "Mind joining me in the shower? There are these things. . .I need your help with."

"I was thinking I could show you the grounds today."

Rose beginning making her usual excuse, she had already explored the area. The truth was she was deathly afraid of getting near his horse. She was quite enthused by the large creature, she couldn't deny it, but she preferred if said large creature would stay a distance away.

"Um," Rose paused, thinking of another excuse when he had that look on his face. The look—the look he put on his face when he knew she was trying to decline his offer. "I am not. . ."

Dimitri took her hand in his. "I'll keep you safe. I just want to spend time with you. You were gone for some time."

Rose melted just a tiny bit. "I don't know."

Now, Dimitri took her into his arms. "You'll be safe. I promise. I've kept my promise so far, haven't I?"

Reluctantly, Rose agreed to go on a ride with him. She had to admit there was something nice about having Dimitri pressed up against her back, while both his arms circled around her and while the sun was settling around them. Being in the warmth and comfort of Dimitri's arms, it was not long till Rose was feeling secure to finally enjoy the ride.

After an attempt to make Rose ride by herself, they both finally decided to call it a day. It never ceased to amaze Rose how this man could be so fucking romantic at times. Rose was content with him allowing her to be her equal, for him to see her as an equal, not a piece of property. However, there were times where he made her blush with how romantic he was with her. (Though he did threaten her with kisses if she ever told Eddie and Adrian about his romantic streak.)

"What do you do to me, Rose?" There was desperation as Dimitri asked the question, leaning forward to touch Rose's cheek.

With her eyes downcast, a blush flaming her cheeks, Rose attempted a light smile. When she regained control of herself, she turned up to look at him provocatively. "Why don't you just worry about helping me out of these clothes? The clothes, and the distance between us, are starting to become unbearable."

Dimitri's responding chuckle turned into a small grin. "Patience, woman. There is so much more on our agenda before I proceed to love the fuck out of you."

"Oh?" She raised a brow, or attempted to, at his words. "Like?"

"I want to talk to you. Everything that comes out of your mouth fascinates me."

"But there are other ways of talking," she attempted to coax him into taking her to bed, but he was unwilling. At the moment, at least.

Dimitri sighed but still smiled. "It's wonderful seeing you smile. A year ago—"

"A year ago," Rose interrupted him, "I was living in hell. I will never cease to be grateful to you, for saving me. Ten years of living in a fucked up relationship made me believe in something that was a fallacy. A relationship isn't sex and emotional abuse—it's something unbelievably great. I am ever thankful you showed me what it is like to love. I am not afraid any longer. I love you." Rose couldn't have been surer of anything else in her life, but she loved that man. "Now can you take me to bed?"

"I love you, woman."

Dimitri stood up, lifted Rose up in his arms, followed by her squealing, and carried her to their bedroom to love the fuck out of her, as he had promised.

End

**A/N: Punch the fucker that ever decides to be a possessive asshat in a relationship. **


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